Sensei
by Lanelle
Summary: A normal day in a go parlor turns into another fated encounter.


**Author's Note: **For those reading this directly from my profile... no I'm not quiting on my other fic. Yes I'm currently working on it. This little story just popped in my head and wouldn't let go. It was distracting me so I had to write it out.

I'm not sure if this is origional or not. If It's not I sincerly appologize to the offended party.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Hikaru no Go.

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**_Sensei_**

The air of the Go parlor was perfectly chilled. A rather nice condition when it was such a hot summer day. The walls were painted a light blue color and the atmosphere was oddly welcoming.

It was a normal Go parlor in all things except for one of it's occupants. In a slightly secluded corner of the room sat an old and strange man. Oddly cheerful in spite of his long and now mostly concluded life. His beloved wife gone, his children were off living there lives only occasionally visiting him, all his old friends passed on or moved on, his students with their own students now, his life long rival buried for these last ten years.

All the other patrons knew that this man's life was Go. His accomplishments were legendary in Go circles. In his time him and his fated rival took the Go world by storm. Winning title after title, the battles between the two were now preserved and studied along side some of the greatest kifu in history. But he knew his time of creating great records with his rival was over now. After his rival's sudden death the old man just couldn't bring himself to play the big title games. His willingness to play the heart pounding life and death games had ended as quickly as his friend's life.

Instead he spends his days playing and replaying games in his comfortable little corner of the world. Occasionally he would get a treat and play a friend or old student who actually bothered to come by to visit him.

Finishing his study of a particularly interesting game. The man clears the goban with a practiced motion. He doesn't bother to sort the stones on the board just places them beside the goban, ready to be used once again.

A glared hand lays a black stone on the board, beginning to replay one of many of his memorable games and reaches for a white stone to put down the next move. While glancing away the elderly player hears a distinctive click from the other side of the goban.

He stares at the suddenly appearing piece for a moment. The corner of his mouth forms a slight quirk suddenly as he hears a muffled giggle from under his table. He quickly reasoned to himself that he didn't really need to review that game anyways. Deciding to play along he picks up another black stone and places it onto the goban. Pretending to glance away he sees a chubby little hand reach over the edge and put down another white stone.

Catching onto the child's game he holds back and waits. No less then two minutes later a dark cap of hair emerges from the other side of the table and a pair of wide almost violet eyes appear. As the owner of the eyes realizes he's been caught he squeaks and dives once more underneath the table.

The old man smiles to himself. It was the 4 year old child of the new employee. He didn't know why she chose to bring him in today but he assumed that it was some sort of emergency considering she hasn't bothered before now.

Placing another stone in the hopes of fishing the child out he waits... silence. Sighing resignedly he bends over to the side and looks under the table and meets the eyes of the child. He quirks an eyebrow and smiles slightly at the sight of the child with both his chubby little hands covering his mouth, trying his best to remain quite. The old man points over at the opposite chair indicating that the boy should get up off the floor and sit down.

Sighing heavily and looking down at the stones the old man notices the pieces were oddly enough placed properly. The board showed all the signs of becoming the beginning of a real game. He looks the child straight in the eye and points at the white stones. His silent message was clear. _'It's your turn.'_

Nervously gnawing on his bottom lip the child's little hands pick up a stone and places it at a surprisingly logical position. The gnarled hand places another stone. A chubby hand innocently counters.

Back and forth they went for a few hands till the old man looks up into the eyes of the child. No longer behind a innocent expression an odd almost other worldly gleam shined threw.

Instinctively the old man looked away. He knew what he was supposed to do. He picks up his next go stone and goes all out. Attack... defend... counter... Years of playing opponents with annoying little habits helped him. He was able to ignore the fact that across from him was a child that had probably never touched a go stone seriously. A child for all accounts shouldn't be able to play at all.

The game went on as the old go player felt a familiar presence across the goban, till finally the results of the game was clear. Breathing heavily the old Go player looks up at the child once again and was not surprised at what he saw.

The child sat on the cushioned chair on his knees as if he were in front of a traditional goban. His back was rod straight and he held him self as if he were royalty . His right hand that was placed on his knee flexed ever so slightly as if something should have been in it. But what truly caught the old man's attention was the child's expression. His head was tilted slightly to the side, his mouth beamed a smile of pure joy at him, his eyes were half lidded and on the verge of tears. The child's dark eyes met his and held. They were overwhelmingly old and wise. His gaze not leaving the old man's he bows slightly in wordless resignation.

The old Go player knew what he saw before him. This small child's soul was his sensei, the friend he had lost ever so long ago. Tears began to gather. He knew that he had been given this chance to play his old master. A chance to see the friend that was taken from him so suddenly. To see how far all his studying and the struggles he had to endure over the years had truly gotten him.

As he watched, the child's eyes slowly close, his face becomes blank and his head tilts forward once more. A sudden jerk and the child's eyes open wide as if suddenly waking. He blinks and looks across the goban and gives the Old go master a look of a confused, wide eyed and innocent child. A look that only comes from a blank slate, someone just beginning life, all knowledge of before gone and ready to be rewritten.

Shindo thought it over and realized his friend was truly being blessed. He was able to start over. He was now able to experience the joy of learning and playing his beloved game once more.

Sadly the old man looks down at the game. He won by two moku. When playing top players, this was a vast chasm, a overwhelming victory. A sense of pride fills him as he replays the game in his mind, memorizing the placement of every little stone. Silently he begins to put all of the stones back into there containers.

"SAI!!", suddenly the new employee was right next to the two. "I told you not to bother Shindo-sensei!!" At her sudden appearance both males jump slightly. With a worried expression the woman quickly bows in apology towards the old man. The child fidgets at his mother's distress. "I'm so sorry he came and bothered you Sensei. His daycare had to do some renovating unexpectedly and is going to be closed the next few days. I just couldn't find anyone to watch him on such short notice."

His old heart still beating a mile a minute. "It's quite alright. I was just getting to know the boy. How about you leave him here a bit. He's been very well behaved and I'd love the company."

The woman glances worriedly at her child and replies "Are you sure? He can be a handful." Shindo smiles warmly at the woman displaying his decades worth of laugh lines. "I'm quite sure. If it makes you feel any better I'll call you if your needed." Reassured the woman bows again in thanks, her relief evident and walks away.

"Umm, jiisan." Shindo glances up at the whispering child. "Why is everyone playing with those little rocks?"

A Sai that wasn't obsessed over Go? This was going to take some getting used to.

"It's the greatest game on earth, little one. I've been playing it sense I was really young like you." Shindo leans forward and whispers "And I'm still not tired of it." The boy suddenly looks down at the stones, a sense of wonder and excitement evident on his face. "Would you like to learn how to play?"

The boy glances up at the old man and nods excitedly. A gleam in his eye that clearly told Shindo that this was still his friend Sai.


End file.
